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Diary of Anna the Girl Witch 2 (Fantasy Adventure for Middle Grade Kids): Wandering Witch Vic Connor A granddaughter of the terrifying Russian witch Baba Yaga, Anna Sophia travels to Siberia to save her father. âSpectacular family read!" "Don't miss!" Children's Books : Ernie the Elephant and Martin Learns to Share (Books for Kids, Bedtime Stories, Free Stories, Adventure Books, baby book) Leela Hope This Children books is relatable for kids of any ages. This story shows that friends need to share their feelings and their toys. Max! Box Set (Humorous Adventures for Middle Grade Kids): Books 1-3 Vic Connor A hilarious illustrated adventure story for children ages 9-12. âThis kidâs story is fascinating!â âOne of the funniest books Iâve read.â Diary of Anna the Girl Witch 1 (Fantasy Adventure for Middle Grade Kids): Foundling Witch Vic Connor On the eve of her 13th birthday, Anna discovers her magical powers, both delightful ... and a little frightening.

âExciting, warm and thoughtfulâ Peter Liptak The art and poetry of the English alphabet explained in a philosophical verse of rhythm and rhyme. Ad feedback Special Offers and Product Promotions Editorial Reviews About the Author Beatrix Potter loved the countryside and spent much of her childhood drawing and studying animals. The Tale of Peter Rabbit¸ published in 1902, was her first book, expanded from an illustrated letter she had sent to a young friend. Beatrix Potter went on to publish more than 20 tales and collections of rhymes. Read more Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved. In the time of swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats with flowered lappets - when gentlemen wore ruffles, and gold-laced waistcoats of paduasoy and taffeta - there lived a tailor in Gloucester. He sat in the window of a little shop in Westgate Street, cross-legged on a table, from morning till dark. Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here , or download a FREE Kindle Reading App . New York Times best sellers Browse the New York Times best sellers in popular categories like Fiction, Nonfiction, Picture Books and more.

See more Product Details Age Range: 3 - 7 years Hardcover: 58 pages Publisher: Warne; 1st Edition with Reset Text and New Reproductions of of Illustrations edition (September 16, 2002) Language: English Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces ( View shipping rates and policies ) Average Customer Review: By Paul D. Race on December 26, 2013 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase Beatrix Potter self-published this story with one set of pictures and a lot more lines of text than her publisher would usually let her include. A year later Warne, her publisher put out the "authorized" version that you see 99% of the time. NEITHER version does justice to Potter's original art, some of which has been preserved and is visible online in various museum sites. But a century ago, the painting was considered a starting point for the lithographers and others involved in the printing process, and nobody expected to actually replicate the painting. When I saw this advertised, I was excited because i was hoping it would use the original paintings as well as the original text. What it uses is the original PRINTED version.

So it will be different from the versions you've seen before, longer with different art. This makes it a worthwhile and inexpensive addition to any Beatrix Potter collection. Paul Race - School Of The Rock By H. Temple on July 8, 2013 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase The Taylor of Gloucester is a well written fanciful tale enhanced by the charming COLOR illustrations by Beatrix Potter. This book actually has the essential elements of a story: a setting, conflict, a plot and characters: A mischievous cat, clever mice who can sing and sew, and a generous good-hearted tailor. The kind tailor cuts out clothing for the mice using leftover scraps of fabric. The tailor is out of thread which he needs to complete a suit of clothes for the mayor and sends his cat to the store for a number of items including cherry colored twist, which the mouse-hungry conniving cat hides in the teapot. The tailor becomes ill, too ill to finish sewing the mayors coat. The cleaver mice sing and sew the garments for him and they complete all but one buttonhole. The guilty cat repents and gets the twist from the teapot and all ends well.

Unlike the illustrations in most of the current books of fiction for children, the colorful illustrations in this book are not only charming, they are inspiring. By gozen on February 2, 2016 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase Be forewarned: the Kindle version has only the text, not the wonderful illustrations by Beatrix Potter. The story is sweet, but without the author's famous watercolors, it's really not the same book I read as a child. I gave this version two stars only because it was free---and I suppose I should have known anything free would be missing something. But I will be going to my local bookstore later today to pick up the real version of The Tailor of Gloucester, with its illustrations of the earnest little tailor and his mice assistants. By Maile B. Melrose on December 3, 2012 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase Having just read this tale to my 3 and 4 year old grandchildren - who have NO experience with Beatrix Potter - I was thrilled to hear them murmuring "tiddly widdly widdly" to themselves days later.

Plus, when you go to Denver's Butterfly Pavilion and see the bee hive indoors, Babbity Bumble and Bizz wizz wizz make a lot more sense. They loved Mrs. Tittlemouse's little bed, the bugs in her larder, the butterfly on her sugar lumps (all children love sugar lumps) and thistledown. We played outside with milk thistle down at Adams County Park and blew thistle down all over the lake - it all connected to Mrs. Tittlemouse. The books are small and so beautifuuly illustrated, with many pages to turn, that the story moves along at warp speed. Wonderful stories for all children, boys and girls. By Benjamin W. Hartley on April 10, 2014 Format: Hardcover|Verified Purchase Five stars for a story that I've known and loved since childhood -- now some seventy years gone by. "The Tailor of Gloucester" fits in quite nicely with the other "Christmas Classics:" Dickens' " Christmas Carol," and "Mr. Pickwick's Christmas;" O.

Henry's "Gift of the Magi;" and van Dyke's "The Story of The Other Wiseman." Compared to my eighty-something years old copy, the binding appears to be equal, if somewhat different. The color plates -- remade, I am given to understand -- are superb. I bought this as a Christmas present. Do your Christmas shopping early! By Cammie on December 27, 2011 Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase My kids really enjoy any story from Beatrix Potter, which is fine by me because I loved her stories as a child. Sure this version of the story for Kindle is not illustrated, so I read the story to my kids at bed time and told them to close their eyes and use their imagination. There is another version of the story for Kindle that you can get for around $6, but the free version works just fine. I am a Christian mommy who is very picky at what I let my kids read/hear/watch and this is a very appropriate book for our standards.

(By the way, my little ones are 4 yrs, and 2 yrs in case you were curious what age group I was reading to) The Tailor of Gloucester | Literawiki | Fandom powered by Wikia The Tailor of Gloucester Share The tailor at work. Original illustration by Beatrix Potter. The Tailor of Gloucester is a children's fantasy story by the British author and illustrator Beatrix Potter . It was the third of Potter's children's books to be commercially published, following The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin . It is the only one of Potter's stories which takes place at Christmastime. In a December 23, 1919 letter to Lady Warren, Beatrix Potter stated that, of all the children's books that she had written, The Tailor of Gloucester was her favorite. As she had earlier done with The Tale of Peter Rabbit, Beatrix Potter originally wrote The Tailor of Gloucester as an illustrated letter that was intended to cheer up a child who had been ill.

Whereas The Tale of Peter Rabbit was written for Noel Moore, the son of Potter's former governess Anne Moore, The Tailor of Gloucester was written for Anne Moore's daughter Frieda. The letter was sent to Frieda Moore in December 1901. Beatrix Potter later borrowed the illustrated letter from Fiona Moore in order to revise and expand the story for publication. The Tailor of Gloucester was published privately in December 1902 and copies were distributed among Potter's friends and relatives. The book was first published commercially by Frederick Warne & Co. in October 1903. The privately published edition of The Tailor of Gloucester includes the lyrics of several Christmas carols and folk songs. Those song lyrics are not included in the commercially published version. The story takes place in the city of Gloucester in the 18th century . Its title character is a tailor who is hard-working but poor. The Mayor of Gloucester, who is to be married on Christmas Day, has asked the tailor to make him a jacket and vest for his wedding.

Having run out of twisted silk (or "twist"), which is needed to sew the vest together, the tailor sends his cat Simpkin to go out and buy some more. When Simpkin finds out that the tailor has released some mice which he trapped earlier, the cat spitefully hides the twist. The tailor does not have any money with which to buy more twist. He thinks that he will be unable to finish making the mayor's clothes and will be financially ruined as a result. Fortunately for him, the mice come to his aid. The Tailor of Gloucester is inspired by real events, which Beatrix Potter probably first heard about while visiting her cousin Caroline Hutton in Gloucestershire in 1897. A Gloucester tailor named John Pritchard (1877-1934) had been asked to make a suit for the mayor. He arrived at work one Monday morning to find the suit completed, except for one buttonhole.

Pinned to the buttonhole was a piece of paper on which was written, "No more twist." Although John Pritchard found out that some of his assistants had stayed in his shop overnight and had finished making the clothes, he was happy to encourage the local belief that fairies had done the work for him. There have been several adaptations of The Tailor of Gloucester for the small screen. Contents Plot The mice who live in the tailor's shop. Original illustration by Beatrix Potter. In 18th century Gloucester there lives a tailor. Although he is hard-working and makes clothes from fine materials, the tailor is very poor. He lives in a single rented room which he shares with his cat Simpkin. The tailor is very careful to waste as little cloth as possible. He often comments that the few tiny scraps of cloth that he cannot use are only big enough to make vests for mice. Indeed, the mice that live in the tailor's shop do make use of those tiny scraps of material. The Mayor of Gloucester is to be married at noon on Christmas Day. He asks the tailor to make him a finely embroidered jacket and vest to wear on his wedding day.

By the time that he finishes work on the snowy evening four days before Christmas, the tailor has placed all the pieces of cloth and buttons which are to be made into the jacket and vest on a table. He plans to sew them together the following day, although he knows that he does not have enough cherry-colored twisted silk (or "twist") to finish making the vest. As the tailor leaves his shop, the mice do too. Unlike the tailor, the mice do not have to go out into the street because they use secret tunnels which connect all the old houses in Gloucester. When he returns home, the tailor gives four pence, which is all the money that he has, to his cat Simpkin. He tells the cat to go out and buy bread, milk, sausages and some cherry-colored twisted silk. The tailor tells the cat that the twist is the most important item in the list of things he has asked him to buy. If the tailor gets the twist, he will be able to finish making the mayor's clothes and his fortune will be assured. If he does not get the twist, he will be ruined.

Front cover of a first edition of the commercially published version of The Tailor of Gloucester from 1903. After Simpkin has gone, the tailor hears a tapping sound. He finds that the sound is coming from an upturned teacup. He lifts up the teacup and finds that there is a mouse underneath it. The tailor hears more tapping coming from more teacups and bowls. He lifts each of them up and releases all of the mice that had been trapped underneath them. He realizes that the mice were trapped by Simpkin. He wonders if he has done the right thing by depriving the cat of what he would have considered his property. The tailor is tired and is starting to feel ill. He talks to himself about all the work that he still has to do to complete the mayor's clothes. The mice listen to him intently. All of the mice then leave the house where the tailor lives by the secret passages. Simpkin returns home, feeling angry about having had to go out in the snow. He puts the bread, sausages and milk on the table. He then begins to look for the mice which he trapped earlier. The tailor asks Simpkin for the twist.

Angry at not being able to find the mice and acting out of spite, Simpkin hides the twist in a teapot. Believing that he will not be able to finish making the mayor's clothes and that he will remain penniless as a result, the sad tailor goes to bed. He becomes seriously ill with a fever and keeps repeating the words, "No more twist", in his sleep. The tailor remains ill in bed for three days. During that time, the pieces of cloth and buttons which the tailor laid out on his table remain untouched inside his locked up shop. Simpkin also continues to search the tailor's rented room for the mice during that time. He does not find any. Mice sew together the Mayor of Gloucester's jacket. Original illustration by Beatrix Potter. On Christmas Eve, the hungry Simpkin goes out in search of the mice. He goes out as midnight strikes on Christmas Eve, the time when animals can talk. [1] Simpkin hears the sound of small voices singing coming from the tailor's shop. He sees a light coming from the shop's window. He is unable to get inside the shop because the door is locked.

Through the window, however, he can see mice at work, sewing together the mayor's jacket and vest. Having seen the good mice helping the tailor, Simpkin realizes that he has been bad. He returns home and finds the tailor sleeping peacefully, his fever having passed. When the tailor wakes up on Christmas Day, he sees Simpkin standing next to his bed and the cherry-colored twist on his quilt. The tailor goes to his shop immediately but fears that he will not have enough time or energy to finish making the mayor's clothe before the wedding at noon that day. When he goes inside his shop, the tailor sees the jacket and vest completed, except for one buttonhole on the vest. Pinned to the buttonhole is a piece of paper with the words, "NO MORE TWIST", written on it in tiny handwriting. The tailor becomes rich and successful. He makes clothes for all of the wealthiest people in Gloucester and Gloucestershire. The tailor's customers are amazed by the tiny stitches that he uses in sewing buttonholes, They think that the buttonholes look just as if they were sewed by mice.

Adaptations Jazz musician George Melly reads The Tailor of Gloucester in an episode of the long-running BBC TV children's program Jackanory. The episode was first broadcast in the United Kingdom on January 9, 1967. A straight-to-video adaptation of The Tailor of Gloucester, made by the American film company Rabbit Ear Productions, was released in 1988. The story is narrated by Meryl Streep. Music is provided by the Irish band The Chieftains. A live-action musical TV movie based on The Tailor of Gloucester was produced by Dreamscape Co. and Thames Television. It was first shown on the ITV network in the United Kingdom on December 28, 1989. The TV movie features choristers from Gloucester Cathedral and Winchester College, children from the Royal Ballet School and an international cast of singers and dancers. A young Jude Law, in his first screen appearance, plays the mayor's stable boy. Simpkin the cat is played by François Testory. Ian Holm stars as the tailor.

Ian Holm also provides the voice of the tailor in an animated adaptation of The Tailor of Gloucester which was made for the fifth episode of the British TV series The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends. The episode first aired on the Family Channel in the United States on November 26, 1993 and first aired on BBC 1 in the United Kingdom on December 24, 1993. Simpkin the cat is voiced by the popular British children's entertainer and comic actor Derek Griffiths. See also " The Elves and the Shoemaker " Footnotes ↑ The idea that animals can talk at midnight on Christmas Eve exists in the folklore of several European countries. This belief is also referred to in the humorous short story " Bertie's Christmas Eve " by Saki . According to some folktales, anyone who overhears the talking animals on that night is likely to hear something highly unpleasant about his or her future.

House of The Tailor of Gloucester - Beatrix Potter Shop and Museum (England): Top Tips Before You Go - TripAdvisor House of The Tailor of Gloucester - Beatrix Potter Shop and Museum Write a Review House of The Tailor of Gloucester - Beatrix Potter Shop and Museum House of The Tailor of Gloucester - Beatrix Potter Shop and Museum Is this attraction suitable for adults only? Yes Is this attraction pet friendly? Yes Does this attraction provide visitors with a taste of the local culture? Yes No Unsure Does this attraction require above average amounts of physical activity (long walks, climbs, stairs or hikes)? Yes Is this attraction good for couples? Yes Do you recommend this attraction for trendsetters? Yes Is this attraction popular with tourists? Yes Is this attraction a "must-see" location? Yes Is this attraction a hidden gem or off-the-beaten path? Yes Do you recommend this attraction for art & architecture lovers? Yes Map updates are paused. Zoom in to see updated info.

Reset zoom Address: 9 College Court, Gloucester GL1 2NJ, England Phone Number: Sun 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm Mon - Sat 9:30 am - 5:00 pm Recommended length of visit: <1 hour Terrible “Family visit” This lovely part of history will suit any Beatrix potter fan....it's not advertised locally only found it on the top ten things to do in Gloucester on trip advisor. The actual... read more Reviewed 4 weeks ago 51 Reviews from our TripAdvisor Community Which Gloucester hotels are on sale? mm/dd/yyyy mm/dd/yyyy Sponsored links * Read reviews that mention: All reviews peter rabbit family visit little gem illustrations story tailored mice stories talent characters memorabilia souvenirs volunteers recreated childhood purchase visting Review tags are currently only available for English language reviews. Start your review of House of The Tailor of Gloucester - Beatrix Potter Shop and Museum Click to rate “Family visit” Reviewed 4 weeks ago This lovely part of history will suit any Beatrix potter fan....it's not advertised locally only found it on the top ten things to do in Gloucester on trip advisor.

The actual book ' tailor of gloucester' has illustrations drawn from this shop and around it....it's free to go upstairs whereby there is a museum.... It's ran by volunteers. You can... More Helpful? “"A magical Place"” Reviewed November 20, 2016 My brother and I found this wonderful shop and museum after visiting Gloucester Catherdral. I am so glad we did and would recommed a visit to anyone who is visting Gloucester.There was so much to see and buy.All the staff were friendly and made us very welcome. Sally ,Herts Helpful? Reviewed September 25, 2016 via mobile Stumbled upon this lovely little shop on our way to Gloucester cathedral and I'm so glad we did. Lots of gifts to buy and upstairs there is a mini museum with lots of relevant information about Beatrix potter and how she came about writing her tale of The tailor of Gloucester. Helpful? “Charming, full of character” Reviewed September 5, 2016 The outside is picturesque and the inside is charming, so quaint. A beautiful building full of character set down a lane, makes a lovely picture too draw. Helpful?

“Great Beatrix Potter treasure trail” Reviewed August 28, 2016 Excellent treasure trail set up for the Daren in Gloucester during the school holidays. Had to find characters in lots of different places all around Gloucester city centre and Quays. Received a badge at the shop at the end. Took a couple of hours and my 7 year old daughter loved it. Everyone involved from staff at the war museum... More Helpful? Beatrix Potter: The Tailor of Gloucester Cream satin waistcoat embroidered with coloured silk, Gloucester, England, UK, 1770. Museum no. 652A-1898 Many of Beatrix Potter’s stories begin ‘Once upon a time…’. The Tailor of Gloucester is unusual in that the story takes place at a specific period – ‘the time of swords and periwigs’ – between about 1735 and 1785. Beatrix went to extraordinary lengths to create an authentic setting. Passing a tailor’s shop in Chelsea one day, she deliberately tore a button off her coat and took it in to be mended so she could observe at first hand the tailor’s posture, tools and workbench.

Beatrix sought inspiration for the Mayor of Gloucester’s coat and embroidered waistcoat in the 18th-century clothes owned by her local museum, the V&A. She wrote to her publisher, Norman Warne: 'I have been delighted to find I may draw some most beautiful 18th century clothes at the South Kensington Museum. I had been looking at them for a long time in an inconvenient dark corner of the Goldsmith’s Court, but had no idea they could be taken out of the case. The clerk says I could have any article put on a table in one of the offices, which will be most convenient.’ (Letter to Norman Warne, 27th March 1903). Her sketches are so accurate that it is possible to identify the original garments, including the mayor’s waistcoat, ‘worked with poppies and corn-flowers’, in the V&A’s collections. In May 1903 Beatrix made many sketches of Gloucester whilst visiting friends in nearby Stroud. The street scenes in her story, particularly that of the tailor’s shop in College Court, depict actual places in the city. Her frontispiece is an exception.

Here, Beatrix based her illustration on a London street scene by William Hogarth (1697–1764). She used the painting to establish the period setting of her story, even picking out details of the gentleman’s attire (‘swords and periwigs and full-skirted coats’) in her opening sentence. Hogarth’s original painting, Noon of 1736, is at Grimsthorpe Castle in Lincolnshire and Beatrix is unlikely to have seen it. Instead, she may have come across the engraved print on one of her many visits to the ‘Art Reading Room’ at the V&A. About Us - The House of the Tailor of Gloucester About Us Welcome to The House of the Tailor of Gloucester We welcome you to the official website of Beatrix Potter’s The Tailor of Gloucester museum and shop. The House of the Tailor of Gloucester (pictured to the left) is today a charming museum and quaint shop. The building is easy to find. It is in College Court which stands within the shadow of the Cathedral. This was the area Beatrix Potter drew and which inspired her to write what she described as her ‘favourite book’.

The House of the Tailor is now staffed by volunteers who are both enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Beatrix Potter and her works. The museum and shop are open to the public daily from Monday – Saturday 10am to 4.30pm and Sunday noon until 4pm (Closed Bank Holidays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. Open Sunday from Easter until Christmas.). Why not pay us a visit and support our work by buying a souvenir ? Read more about the Tailor of Gloucester in the ‘ About ‘ section. Number 9, College Court, standing beside the ancient St Michael’s Gate, was the building Beatrix Potter chose for the setting of her story, The Tailor of Gloucester . The inspiration for this story came in May 1894 when Beatrix Potter was staying with her cousin, Caroline Hutton. Whilst at the Hutton’s home, Harescombe Grange, which lies five miles south of Gloucester, Caroline told Beatrix the curious tale of a local tailor.

Closing his shop at Saturday lunchtime with a waistcoat cut out but not sewn together, he was surprised to discover when, on the Monday morning he opened the shop again, to discover that apart from one button hole, the waistcoat had been sewn together. A tiny note was pinned to the button hole which read, “no more twist”. Beatrix requested that they visit Gloucester the next day when she saw the tailor’s shop and sketched some of the city’s buildings. Presumably, Beatrix Potter had already formed the story in her mind but it was not until 1901 that the tale was committed to paper as a Christmas present for the daughter of one of her tutors, Freda Moore. Potter later reworked the story and this became the edition Frederick Warne published in October, 1903. Historically, the original building on the site of the House of the Tailor of Gloucester can be traced back to 1535. It was in a lane that originally ran alongside the precinct wall of St Peter’s Abbey – now the Cathedral. In the 1930s, the ‘House’ was a private residence.

In 1953, then owned by Mr Percy Zatman, a dealer in gold and silver, the ‘House’ became an antique shop. In 1978, the property was purchased by Frederick Warne and Co. Ltd. Using Beatrix Potter’s illustrations in The Tailor of Gloucester Warne’s remodelled the shop’s interior and frontage. After an appeal in the local newspaper, in 2006 funds were raised to purchase the freehold of the building. The heritage behind the House of the Tailor of Gloucester is secure. It is now a museum with a gift shop run by volunteers. Visitors may enjoy the tailor’s kitchen where Simpkin keeps watch over his captured mice. Upstairs they can read a brief history of the original tailor, John Prichard, and view a small collection of Potter memorabilia. After watching the automaton where the mice work on the waistcoat, there is the shop where there is hopefully something for everyone. This magical experience is free and everyone can enjoy it.

The Tailor of Gloucester By Beatrix Potter | Featured Books : Stella & Rose's Books The Tailor of Gloucester By Beatrix Potter View current stock of this title The second of the twenty-three Peter Rabbit tales, The Tailor of Gloucester, was Beatrix Potter’s personal favourite. In a presentation copy of Warne’s edition Beatrix wrote ‘This is my own favourite amongst my little books’. Along with many of the other Tales, The Tailor originally started life as a picture letter to a child. The child in question was Winifreda Moore (often called Freda or Frida), second daughter of Annie Moore, Beatrix’s former companion and dear friend. It was while visiting a cousin who lived in Stroud in Gloucestershire that Beatrix first heard the strange story of the Tailor of Gloucester. One evening the tailor, who was very poor, left in his shop a waistcoat, which he was making for the Mayor of Gloucester who was to be married on Christmas day. He had cut it out but not made it up. He fell ill and didn’t go back to the shop for three days and nights – what would become of the poor tailor if the waistcoat was not ready for the Mayor’s marriage?

When he finally returned to the shop he found the waistcoat finished except for one button-hole – obviously, as the tailor thought, made by the fairies! A little scrap of paper was pinned to the garment bearing the legend ‘no more twist’. This was based on a true story, outlined in Leslie Linder’s excellent reference book ‘A History of the Writings of Beatrix Potter’, from which much of the information for this article is drawn. Beatrix was intrigued, she felt she must make this strange happening into a story - the mayor and the tailor remained true to life but the fairies were changed into mice! While in Gloucester, Beatrix sketched the streets, buildings and cathedral arch as well as the interior of a number of cottages in the area. When she returned to London she visited a tailor’s shop where she could observe first-hand the accoutrements of the tailor’s trade and the manner in which he worked. Beatrix Potter was nothing but thorough in her research for her version of the story! By December 1901 the story was finished and Beatrix gave it to Freda Moore as a Christmas present.

It’s interesting that this original manuscript, which included 12 exquisite water-colour drawings, is also the longest version of the story, having many of Beatrix’s favourite rhymes and Christmas songs woven throughout. This same month, the privately printed Tale of Peter Rabbit was published by Strangeways and Frederick Warne & Co had agreed to publish a coloured edition. Beatrix, thinking that Warne would not publish another title so soon after the first, and, even if they did, they would be likely cut out many of the verses, decided to have The Tailor of Gloucester printed privately too, with colour illustrations throughout. Six new pictures were painted for this publication, others were redrawn and some were left out. Beatrix worked through the manuscript and shortened it in places and also deleted some rhymes. The result was printed in pink paper boards, only 500 copies in total, in the same small format as the Tale of Peter Rabbit and with a black and white drawing of three little mice on the front.

At the time of writing Stella and Rose’s Books have two copies of this delightful and rare little book in stock, one with a signature and inscription in Beatrix’s own hand to Cicely Roscoe - Henry Enfield Roscoe was Beatrix's uncle and so Cicely was probably related to Beatrix. By 1903 Warne had decided to publish the Tailor along with the Tale of Squirrel Nutkin . Beatrix set to and repainted nine of the sixteen pictures in the private edition and eighteen new pictures were added making a total of twenty-eight. Warne had indeed requested cuts and so she shortened the text substantially, mainly the part of the story which contained her rhymes and verses. It was in 1903 that the question of special illustrated endpapers arose. Beatrix herself was a little concerned that ‘when fully coloured and repeated four times it may look rather heavy for so small a book’. However she thought that may ‘come out all right’, which indeed it did. The coloured endpapers now play an important part in identifying different editions of the early printed Tales.

Different editions – hmm, this poses quite a problem for the collector as the Tales were printed with the copyright date on the reverse of the title page and so reprints are often mistaken for first editions. The first edition, first printing was published in August 1903, in grey or dark blue paperboards and the year 1903 appears on the front of the title page. But, the year also appears on the title page of the second printing published in September 1903. So now we have to look to the endpapers for identification. The first printing has a single-page endpaper occurring four times, the second printing has a double-page endpaper occurring twice! A deluxe edition bound in art fabric with a design of pansies was also published in 1903. Beatrix referred to these as ‘bound in a flowered lavender chintz, very pretty’. In addition to the private printings and first editions of the Tales, there are available to the collector a host of early printings dating back to before 1919 when Warne & Co became a limited company.

The little books were still being printed with blank pages at this stage but in later editions the number of pages were reduced with the pictures and text being printed on both sides of the paper. While the books produced between 1919 and 1940 are very difficult to date without a dated inscription, during the 1940’s Warne began to produce editions which enable the collector to date them fairly accurately. At the rear of the book or on the reverse of the title page there appears a number, the last two digits of which indicate the year the book was published. The Tailor of Gloucester and its companion Tales are still being reprinted in various editions and bindings to this day, providing variety and interest for the collector of classic children’s books. PS. Mr. John Pritchard, the original tailor, died in 1934 and was buried in the cemetery of St. Mary’s Church, Charlton Kings near Cheltenham. His tombstone bears the inscription ‘The Tailor of Gloucester’, a tribute from the City of Gloucester to both the memory of the tailor and to the author who immortalised the Tale, Beatrix Potter.

View all current stock of books by Beatrix Potter Contributed by Chris Tailor of Gloucester Reviews - Toppsta 2 Reviews Write a Review "The Tailor of Gloucester" was first published in 1903 and tells the story of a poor tailor trying to survive in his freezing workshop over a hard winter. He has a terribly important commission to complete for the Mayor of Gloucester's wedding on Christmas Day but is ill and tired, and before long is running out of food and thread, as well as time! How will he possibly complete the beautiful coat and embroidered waistcoat? Luckily, there lives in the dresser, some very kind and very resourceful mice who set about helping the poor tailor with his work. Not only are they exceedingly helpful, but they are also, luckily, far too clever for the tailor's sly cat, Simpkin. "The Tailor of Gloucester" is number three in "Beatrix Potter's" series of 23 little books, the titles of which are as follows: "The Tale of Peter Rabbit"; "The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin"; "The Tailor of Gloucester"; "The Tale of Benjamin Bunny"; "The Tale of Two Bad Mice"; "The Tale of Mrs.

Tiggy-Winkle"; "The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher"; "The Tale of Tom Kitten"; "The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck"; "The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies"; "The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse"; "The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes"; "The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse"; "The Tale of Mr. Tod"; "The Tale of Pigling Bland";"The Tale of Samuel Whiskers"; "The Tale of The Pie and the Patty-Pan"; "The Tale of Ginger and Pickles"; "The Tale of Little Pig Robinson"; "The Story of a Fierce Bad Rabbit"; "The Story of Miss Moppet"; "Appley Dapply's Nursery Rhymes"; and, "Cecily Parsley's Nursery Rhymes". Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd The ‘Tailor of Gloucester’ | The Herald The ‘Tailor of Gloucester’ September 25, 2014 Shingirai Huni Business Beatrix Potter wrote the book “The Tailor of Gloucester” which focuses on a magical occurrence where mice assist the tailor to make a coat for the mayor.

While the tailor had helpers in the real world it would be folly to fold one’s arms and wait for a miracle Zachary Aldwin Milkshake in the Boardroom Recently I was preparing to write this column and I found myself sitting in front of my laptop staring at the blank screen wishing the words to appear on the display but they did not come. Writer’s block had set in and the article was not happening. My mind was devoid of coherent ideas that would make people exclaim in wonder at my genius. The electricity went off and the screen went even blank. Genius, it seemed, was just not destined to happen that day. Unfortunately this was not some “Tailor of Gloucester” scenario where someone or something else would write my article. For those who had a childhood deprived of brilliant reading and magical stories, allow me to explain the “Tailor of Gloucester”. It is a children’s book by Beatrix Potter, although on reading it one could mistake the level of writing as intended for adults or some very smart children. Written in 1901, it tells the story of a tailor who falls ill while making a new coat for the Mayor of Gloucester’s wedding.

He experiences a miracle walking into his shop after three days in bed and finding the coat almost complete. This had been done by some mice that were grateful for the little snippets of cloth that the tailor left for them. There is also a cat, some milk and a twist of silk but they are not essential to the story. I would love to have a bunch of mice that would write my articles every week. Even if there were miracle mice, they would probably not be able to do the job because I happen to have three hungry cats so I would still have to do the work myself. If the work would somehow go away, if miraculously it would just get done, if someone else would just do it. These are the wishes of many. Searching for a miracle to avoid you doing some hard work is laziness. You cannot buy a bottle of holy water and go on holiday to Majorca and just expect all the work that you should be doing to be completed while you are away. People have this idea that prosperity is going to just fall into their lap without them having to lift a finger, they are deceived and deluded.

I am not against the idea of miracles; God may have provided manna in the wilderness for the children of Israel but they still had to go out and collect it every morning. There is a part that we have to play whether there is a supernatural intervention or not. We have to work. Not only do we need to work, but we need to persevere, even in the sight of obstacles and challenges. How do you solve writer’s block? You put your fingers to the keyboard and start writing. That is the miracle of this article, many weeks I have no idea what I will write till I start, then the ideas flow. The same thing should happen with a business, idea or project. How do you become an overnight success? You start working at something. Develop your craft, develop your character. Remember my friend with the book a couple of columns back. Initial sales have not been great, so what is he doing about it? Well he is going to write another one while he continues to push this one. Push through, keep going, one step at a time if need be. If climbing a mountain you cannot afford to stop half way up, if you stop for too long you will die of exposure. You have to persevere.

Now is the time to work if we are going to build anything great. You actually have a better chance of success today that you did 20 years ago. The “in-crowd” who dictated trends has split into multiple, smaller “in-crowds” that you can niche market to. You just have to have something to show them, so get working.

Question: Who wrote the story the Tailor of Gloucester?
Answer: BEATRIX POTTER